I think there is a recognized need among practicing pathologists that there is a shortage of pathologists that have informatics expertise as one of their skill sets.  Pathology groups and laboratories, in my opinion, to remain competitive are going to have to have internal informatics expertise to be successful and grow as desired.  One of the issues is a lack of a large number of dedicated fellowships, the few of which are excellent but cannot nearly train all those who are both interested and the market needs. Current pathology residents have strong informatics interests and in most cases some exposure prior to medical school or residency but formal training in the increasingly recognized subspecialty of pathology informatics may be lacking in certain programs and only a few fellowships limit the number that can be trained. 

It is encouraging that the API has taken the lead to provide core competencies for residency programs to incorporate goals during residency that can be put into practice.  The list of institutions and those responsible for directing this initiative is a who's who in pathology informatics. I hope the list of institutions and individuals continues to grow and likely will from this collaborative effort to support interests of trainees and meet an increasing demand and need in pathology practice. 

Full press release from the Association for Pathology Informatics:

Association for Pathology Informatics -  PRESS RELEASE July 12, 2011  Pathology Informatics is a rapidly evolving subspecialty of pathology. Core competencies of pathology informatics should be addressed in all pathology programs. The Association for Pathology Informatics (API) has taken the lead in addressing curriculum needs through the creation of its membership-based teaching program. This collaborative is managed by world-class experts in pathology informatics training and practice. Its goal is to provide residency programs with essential tools for high-quality pathology informatics training.  Ronald S. Weinstein, M.D., FCAP, President of API, is pleased to announce that twelve teaching programs have joined API as the first Teaching Institutional members of the Association. These teaching programs have made a significant commitment to advancing the training of medical residents and fellows interested in the emerging discipline of pathology informatics. 

• Cleveland Clinic – Center for Pathology Informatics
• Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) - Department of Pathology
• Henry Ford Hospital – Department of Pathology Informatics
• Massachusetts General Hospital – Fellowship in Pathology Informatics
• Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (UMDNJ) – Department of Pathology
• University of Alabama at Birmingham – Department of Pathology
• University of Arizona College of Medicine – Department of Pathology
• University of California - Davis Health System – Department of Medical Pathology
• University of Colorado Denver – Department of Pathology
• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor – Division of Pathology Informatics
• University of Pittsburgh - Department of Biomedical Informatics
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Department of Pathology

  For more information, visit http://www.pathologyinformatics. org